Fatherhood
by totalizzyness
Summary: Aomine/Kagami Five times Aomine thought he was a terrible father, and one time he was told he wasn't. - Cross-posted from AO3
1. Chapter 1

**FATHERHOOD**  
**Five times Aomine thought he was a terrible father, and one time he was told he wasn't.**  
**Relationships: **Aomine/Kagami, background Kuroko/Kise, background Midorima/Takao

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

Aomine felt close to pulling his hair out, his stress levels through the roof; Taiga had promised to be home over an hour ago but an unavoidable call-out meant Daiki was left with their screaming child. Mitsuko had been fussy before bed the previous night, taking over twice as long to finally go down, but had woken almost every hour, on the hour, howling and screaming. Aomine sighed loudly, rocking his daughter in his arms, trying in vain to calm her.

"I'm sorry, baby, I don't know what's wrong."

Mitsuko continued crying into Aomine's chest, her tiny fingers curling and uncurling in his dirty shirt, soiled with tears, snot, and baby vomit. Aomine pressed a kiss to the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Midorima will be here soon. Please stop crying."

As if just to spite him, Mitsuko let out an even louder wail, letting her head roll back, letting Aomine feel the full force of the cry. Aomine winced, trying to make her rest her head back on his chest, increasing the momentum of his rocking. He could feel his nerves thrumming with nervous energy, his knees going a little weak.

"Please, Mitsuko. Daddy can't take all this crying, he's going to start crying too." Aomine's voice cracked as he swayed; he squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. He felt hopeless, lost without Taiga's reassuring presence; tired from being up all night caring for his sick child and being unable to even sit down. He was given a short respite when he heard a knock at the door over Mitsuko's cries. He hurried to the door, manoeuvring his child in his arms to allow him to wrench the door open.

"You look terrible," Midorima said in lieu of greeting his old teammate. He slipped off his shoes and made his way to the living room, rooting in his bag.

"Thanks for coming. She's been like this all day," Aomine said, trying to not let his weakness show.

"I'm not your personal doctor, Aomine, remember that. I'm doing this as a favour."

"And I appreciate it. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't serious... she won't let me put her down for long enough to get ready to leave for the hospital."

Midorima nodded, hooking his stethoscope around his neck. "So, restlessness? Moodiness? Anything else?"

Aomine groaned dramatically. "Vomiting, lost appetite, won't sleep, won't go down... nothing I do works!"

Midorima nodded, putting the earpieces in his ears, lifting Mitsuko's top to press the bell against her back. He listened intently, seemingly not bothered by the child's wailing. "Can you turn her around, please?"

Aomine struggled to turn her as she clung to his shirt. Midorima continued listening to her chest, giving away nothing as he unhooked his stethoscope and moved back over to his bag, pulling out another instrument.

"Well?"

Midorima didn't answer, instead placing the instrument in Mitsuko's ear, prompting her to scream even louder. Aomine flinched, his stomach twisting at the thought of his daughter being in pain. He pressed his nose to the top of her head, giving her a gentle kiss.

"Shush now, sweetheart. You'll be alright... Right, Midorima?"

"Yes," Midorima replied, going back to his bag. "Mitsuko has an ear infection. Quite common but, clearly, not much fun."

"So it's not serious?"

Midorima pulled out a packet of sterilising wipes, cleaning his otoscope. "It should clear up by itself within the next couple of days. If she doesn't pick up in three days, take her to the hospital."

Aomine let out a sigh of relief, squeezing Mitsuko gently. "So what can I do?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid. She won't let you lay her down so keep her upright. Keep trying to feed her and just be patient... she's over six months, yes? You can give her ibuprofen to lessen the pain."

"Right... do you mind taking her for a minute? I seriously need to take a few minutes to calm down."

Midorima frowned, carefully putting his things back in his bag, casting a disdainful look up at Aomine. "I'm not your babysitter, either."

"Yes, I know, but I've been up all night, Shintarou! I haven't even had a chance to take a piss, alright?! I just need five damn minutes to get my breath back before I go crazy!"

Sighing, Midorima reached out to take Mitsuko, mindful of her ear, and cradled her against his chest. Aomine slumped, running his hands through his hair.

"Right… Bathroom." He quickly stalked off towards the bathroom, not even hesitating to check if his daughter was fine in the care of, to her, a stranger. He slumped back against the door, slipping down to the floor, a whole range of emotions coursing through him. Relief at no longer having a child screaming down his ear. Guilt at feeling relief; Mitsuko was his child and he was supposed to care for her and love her but all he felt was contempt; he'd seriously resisted the urge multiple times to just put her in her cot and leave. He'd scared himself with the thoughts that had briefly flashed through his mind, things that had disgusted him when he'd read about them in police reports.

Taking deep gulps of air, he tried to calm himself down; Mitsuko's cries still audible through the walls. He knew he'd feel lost and hopeless until Taiga came home, he was always so much better at calming her down.

"I'm a fucking terrible father."

Midorima, meanwhile, was calmly pacing around the living room, gently bouncing Mitsuko in his arms. Her screams didn't bother him the same way they did Aomine, he was long used to crying and loud irritating noises from his job at the hospital and living with Takao. He did, however, pity the child. He couldn't imagine how awful she felt, too young to understand why she was in pain and no way to stop it. He went through to the kitchen, balancing her in one arm whilst he rooted for a cloth, dampening it with cold water when he found one.

"Hold still for me," he muttered, balancing Mitsuko on the counter, her back propped against his chest whilst he wrung out the cloth before pressing it against her infected ear. After a minute or two her cries calmed from ear-piercing wails to pained hiccuping. Midorima maneouvered her back into his arms, holding the damp cloth in place and wandered back to the living room.

Aomine finally reappeared, his cheeks flushed and his eyes a little red. Midorima said nothing as he passed his daughter back over.

"Is she finally calming down?"

"Perhaps. Keep the cool cloth against her ear, it should help relieve some of the pain. Will Kagami be returning soon?"

"I don't know, he's on a call-out." Aomine closed his eyes, pressing his lips to his daughter's head, willing her cries to end. Midorima pushed his glasses up, watching Aomine carefully.

"Would you like me to stay until he returns?"

"No, thank you."

"Aomine. Accept my help if you need it, don't be so proud."

"I'm her father, I can look after her."

Midorima rolled his eyes, edging towards his things, unsure whether to leave or to put his foot down and make Aomine accept his offer of help. "Looking after a sick child isn't easy, Daiki."

Aomine's head snapped up at the use of his first name, especially from Midorima.

"It's even harder when you're by yourself."

"Single parents manage perfectly fine," Aomine snapped, flipping the damp cloth around to press the cooler side against his daughter's ear. "Go home, Midorima. You said yourself, you're not my personal babysitter. Mitsuko and I will be fine."

Midorima sighed, gathered up his things and saw himself out, pausing on the doorstep to send a text to Taiga, urging him to hurry home.

Inside, Aomine let out a long sigh, chastising his proud nature, wishing he'd had the guts to admit he didn't think he'd be able to look after Mitsuko. He paced around the coffee table, gently pressing the damp cloth against her ear, occasionally kissing the top of her head, hushing her cries.

"Just you and me again, baby, just you and daddy. No more strange giants with green hair to scare you… You're going to stop crying now, right?"

Mitsuko's cries had quietened considerably, Aomine hoped she'd tired herself from being up all night. His only issue now was he wouldn't be able to put her down to sleep, and his arms were aching from holding her for so long. He continued pacing, wondering if he should attempt to put her down to sleep or deal with the pain. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone vibrating on the table; he dived at it, hoping it was Taiga telling him he was on his way home.

"Taiga?"

"Sorry, Aomine-kun, it's me."

Aomine sighed, shifting Mitsuko in his arms, pinning the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Oh, hi Tetsu."

"Midorima-kun just text me, Mitsuko's ill?"

"Ear infection."

"I'm sorry to hear that… is it just you?"

"Yeah, Taiga's at work."

"Would you like me to come over?

"No thank you."

"Aomine-"

"No, Tetsu. I don't need everyone's pity! I can manage!"

Aomine heard Kuroko sigh away from the phone, shuffling a few things on his end.

"It's not pity, Aomine-kun. If anything it's empathy. I have to deal with sick children all the time, so does Midorima-kun. We know how hard it is, we just want to help."

"Taiga will be home soon, we'll be fine."

"Very well. I'll just offer you this piece of advice various mothers have given me; do you have a sling?"

"What, like, for a broken arm?"

Kuroko chuckled. "No, a baby-sling. I'll take that as a no. You can make one out of a bedsheet or something; it'll keep Mitsuko upright and against your chest so she's comfortable and frees up your arms. I'll text you a how-to link."

Aomine managed a smile, softly stroking a hand over his daughter's head. "Thanks, Tetsu."

"I hope she gets better soon. Good luck, Aomine-kun."

Aomine ended the call, quickly pocketing the phone before moving to the linen cupboard to grab a bedsheet. Mitsuko was still snuffling his arms, occasionally making noises as if she were about to start wailing again before calming. Aomine's phone vibrated; he somehow managed to juggle everything in his arms as he read the how-to article, unfolded the sheet and kept Mitsuko pressed against his chest.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm going to have to move you about a bit," Aomine murmured. He did as the article said, folding the sheet, wrapping it around his torso, bringing it up over his shoulders. Mitsuko didn't react well to the jostling, she woke from her from her almost sleep-like state and began wailing, even louder than before. Aomine grimaced, trying to hurry up tying the sheet but kept fumbling, jostling the baby even more.

"Goddamn this is so fiddly. Mitsuko, please! Just stop!"

Mitsuko's cries only got louder as Aomine got more panicked, the sheet constantly falling out of place and slipping from his grip until he gave up entirely. He kicked the sheet out of his way as he marched back to the living room, rocking Mitsuko more aggressive than necessary.

"Mitsuko, please, for God's sake!"

Aomine returned to pacing and bouncing his daughter in his arms, trying to tell himself everything was okay. It felt like hours had passed before Aomine heard the front door opening. He rushed to the foyer, sighing in relief at the sight of Taiga hurriedly getting out of his outdoor clothing, marching forwards. Aomine quickly pushed Mitsuko into his arms, sagging in relief against the wall.

"I'm so sorry, Daiki. Midorima and Tetsuya texted me and told me how bad it was."

Aomine nodded wordlessly, pushing the heels of his hands into his eyes as he slowly slipped down the wall. Kagami frowned, calmly cradling Mitsuko against his chest as he bent down to press a kiss to his husband's forehead.

"Go calm down. Take a nap or something, I can handle her."

Aomine gulped in a few breaths, squeezing his eyes shut to stave off the tears he felt, burning behind his eyelids. "Taiga-"

"Go on, Daiki. You've done well, let me take over."

"I haven't."

"Hm?"

"I haven't done well."

Taiga sighed, tucking Mitsuko against his chest with one arm, and pulled Daiki against his chest with his other, pressing kisses to the top of his head. "No, you've done so well, Daiki. I'm sorry I left you by yourself, I'm not sure how I would have coped by myself. Now go on, go lie down."

Aomine took another deep breath, drying his eyes with the back of his hand before he pulled himself up, slowly shuffling towards the bedroom. He could still hear Mitsuko crying, Taiga comforting her as he paced around the living room. The ache in his arms had settled as he flung himself face down onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. He wasn't sure if he should cry away his frustrations or sleep through them, so he lay completely still, holding a pillow over his head to block out the sounds of his daughter crying.

He was awoken several hours later by Taiga gently shaking him and calling his name. He blearily lifted his head from beneath the pillow, squinting at his husband. Taiga smiled, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together.

"I've made dinner, you hungry?"

"Where's Mitsuko?"

"Sleeping in her carry cot. I'm hoping she might be able to sleep through the night… Come on, you must be starving."

Aomine grumbled, letting Taiga pull him out of bed and into his arms. "How'd you get her down?"

"She fell asleep herself, I just propped the cot up on the sofa to keep her upright. Stop dwelling on it, Daiki; Midorima said she should perk up tomorrow, and I'll be home tomorrow, you won't have to deal with it by yourself."

"Why couldn't I deal, Taiga? Am I that bad a father I can't even-"

"No, Daiki. No. Don't even dare. You're a great dad; Mitsuko loves you and I can already tell she's going to be a daddy's girl. It was a stressful day, you had no sleep, she was in pain, but you are not a bad dad, okay?!"

Aomine sighed, slumping in Taiga's arms. "I wish you'd come home earlier."

Taiga pressed a kiss to Daiki's forehead, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. But I'm here now… come and eat."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Aomine felt like he'd forgotten something, the quiet niggling at the back of his head kept him from drifting back into another peaceful nap. The TV was quietly showing the news in front of him; nothing remarkable seemed to be happening on his lazy Wednesday off work. He stretched, groaning as several bones clicked back into place; he was no longer as limber as he'd been when he'd made Taiga fall in love with him.

Aomine smirked as he thought about the early days of his and Taiga's relationship, how passionate they'd been, the fights that had turned into the most athletic sex he'd ever had. His smirk turned into a grin as he realised they were still like that after all their years of being together, even if the sex wasn't as frequent as it had been before Mitsuko was born; he'd easily sacrifice his sex life to be able to spend the rest of his life with his little girl.

He glanced up at the clock to see how long it would be until his favourite people in the world got home, figuring he had enough time to do the chores Taiga had left him, which he had obviously left until the last minute. He stretched again, throwing his legs over the side of the sofa to stand when his phone vibrated on the coffee table, Taiga's picture lighting up on his screen.

"_**Finished early, what do you and Mitsuko want for dinner?**_"

Aomine frowned, tapping out a reply. "_**Why are you asking me what Mitsuko wants for dinner?**_"

"_**Because you're supposed to be looking after her, asshole!**_"

The quiet niggling at the back of Aomine's head exploded as realisation dawned on him. He was supposed to be looking after Mitsuko, and she was nowhere in sight. He'd just jumped to his feet when he heard a crash in the kitchen, followed immediately by the sound of his daughter screaming. His stomach churned as he ran to the kitchen.

"Shit!" Aomine fell to his knees at Mitsuko's side, gathering her up into his arms as she continued howling in pain, a trail of blood trickled down her cheek from the gash on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, baby, I'm sorry. Come on." He propped her against his hip, lifting her up onto the counter next to the sink, quickly grabbing wads of kitchen roll, pressing it against the cut. Mitsuko cried harder as he pressed against the wound, kicking her feet out in front of her; Aomine winced as one kick connected with his gut.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, can you hold that there for me a second?"

Mitsuko did as she was asked, holding the kitchen towel in place as Aomine rooted for the first aid kit, growling out curses when he couldn't find it.

"I'll just be a second, I'm sorry." He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead as he hurried to the front room, snatching his phone from the coffee table. He dialed Taiga's number, not caring for the angry rant his husband was going to give him.

"Daiki? What-"

"Where's the first aid kit?!"

Taiga paused. "Is that Mitsuko crying? What did you do?!"

"Where's the first aid kit, Taiga?! I don't have time for this!"

"You were supposed to be watching her!"

"I know! Just fucking tell me where it is?!"

"It's in the bathroom. What happened?"

"I'll tell you when you get home." Aomine hung up, tossing the phone onto the sofa before rushing to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit from under the sink. Mitsuko was where he'd left her, still crying, the kitchen towel now soaked with blood. He grabbed some more, wetting it under the tap. "You can let go now, baby. This might sting, okay? But you kick daddy all you need… ready?"

Mitsuko nodded, peering up at Aomine through her tears as she took the bloodied towel from her head. Aomine quickly tossed it into the bin before she could see all the blood and began wiping away the blood that had trickled down her cheek, careful to dab at the cut. He got several kicks to the thigh as he wiped away the blood.

"This one is going to sting, now. But you're a brave girl, right? You'll be brave for daddy?"

Mitsuko nodded again, wiping away her tears as Aomine unwrapped a disinfectant wipe, hesitating before wiping the cut as quickly as possible. Mitsuko screamed again at the pain, kicking Aomine in the gut even harder than before.

"I know, I know. It's all over now, okay? All done. Just need to put a band-aid over it. Which one do you want?"

Mitsuko mumbled something as she wiped her eyes again; Aomine sighed, softly stroking a hand over her head.

"What was that?"

"Dinosaurs."

Aomine smiled, pressing a kiss to her nose before unwrapping a dinosaur band-aid, placing it gently over the cut, which he was glad was smaller than the amount of blood made it seem. Once everything was cleaned up he pulled her back into his arms, kissing her frantically all over her face until she giggled.

"Daddy~"

"Is everything all better now? No more crying?"

Mitsuko nodded, burying her face into Aomine's neck. "No more crying."

"Good girl. What were you doing in the kitchen anyway?"

"I was making daddy dinner. It was going to be a surprise."

Aomine hugged her closer to his chest. "Oh, you don't have to do that, baby."

"But I wanted to."

Aomine carried his daughter through to the living room, sitting her firmly on his lap. They snuggled up together, Mitsuko's head on Aomine's chest, and watched TV until Taiga burst through the front door, only pausing to kick his shoes off. He ran over to where his family was sat, sweeping Mitsuko into his arms.

"What happened?"

"I was trying to cook daddy dinner and fell off a chair and hit my head," Mitsuko said, smiling, already recovered from her ordeal. Taiga shot a glare at Daiki, holding Mitsuko tighter against his chest.

"You were supposed to be watching her!"

"I fell asleep."

"She's two! You don't get to fall asleep!"

"She's fine now! The cut wasn't even that big! She was more scared than anything!"

Taiga sighed, setting Mitsuko down on the floor, crouching down to her level. "Mitsuko, go play in your room for a minute, okay? I need to talk to daddy."

Mitsuko nodded, pressing a shy kiss to Taiga's cheek before skipping off to her bedroom. Aomine sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, knowing he was in for a long-winded lecture about responsibility. When he cracked his eyes open, however, he expected Taiga to look angry, but instead he just looked upset.

"Taiga-"

"How do you forget you have a daughter to look after?"

"I-"

"She could have seriously hurt herself, Daiki. Sure, it was just a small cut, _this time_. What about next time? What happens if next time it's not a small cut, huh?!"

Aomine sighed, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry's not good enough! You're supposed to be her father! I'm supposed to be able to trust you to look after her!"

"I know, Taiga! I'm sorry, okay? You don't need to make me feel any worse than I already do. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her either, especially if it was my fault! Just… I don't need this right now." Aomine pulled himself from the sofa, marching past Taiga through to their room, slumping down on the bed. He could hear Mitsuko playing in her room, singing happily to herself, and Taiga in the kitchen starting to prepare dinner, banging things louder than necessary. He ran a hand through his hair, silently cursing himself. He knew Taiga would hold this over him for a long time; he didn't need more confirmation he was a crappy father.

Aomine sat by himself, finding things to take his mind off the day's events for a while until there was a quiet knock on the door, followed by Mitsuko poking her head round.

"Daddy?"

Aomine forced a smile, sitting upright, beckoning her to come closer. "What is it?"

"Are you not eating dinner with me and papa?"

"Oh… probably not, sweetheart. I'm not very hungry."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Mitsuko frowned, curling her finger in Aomine's shirt. "Okay… will you come and play with me after dinner? You do voices best."

"Of course. Go on, go eat."

Mitsuko leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to Aomine's forehead before skipping off, leaving Aomine by himself again.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Aomine let out a loud sigh, letting his head fall back against the door. Inside he could hear his daughter's muffled sobs. "Mitsuko, please come out."

"No!"

"Mitsuko, sweetheart-"

"Go away!"

Taiga chuckled, leaning bodily against the wall opposite. "She doesn't want to see you, Daiki."

"She hates me, doesn't she."

"Nah." He offered his hand, helping pull Daiki to his feet. "She's got more birthdays to come, she'll forgive you."

"No she won't. She's five now. She holds grudges like fucking… I don't know, who holds grudges?"

"Seriously, Daiki. She'll get over it. Especially when she's older, she'll realise sometimes you can't just skip work to attend birthday parties."

Aomine groaned, resting his head on his husband's shoulder. "But that's later on. I have to deal with this now! She expects me to put everything on hold for her, and Goddamn I want to, but my superior is hardly going to let me call in sick or something."

Taiga smiled, stroking his fingers through Aomine's hair. "You tried. You tried to get the day off and it's not your fault. She'll realise this."

"No she won't. I tried to explain, you know what she said? She said she wished Ryouta was her dad instead, because he always has time to play with Yoichi."

"Wow… but Kise doesn't have a real job, of course he can take time off."

"Not the point, Taiga. My daughter told me, to my face, she wished I wasn't her dad anymore."

Taiga sighed, pulling Aomine into a tight hug. "She doesn't mean it, Daiki, you know that. She's five. She's melodramatic. Everything's the end of the world to her."

"I know, but…"

"No buts. She still loves you, that's why she's so upset. I'm sure if you tell her how much she's hurt your feelings she'll say sorry."

Aomine shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "No… I'll think of something. Anyway, I'd better be going." He moved back to his daughter's door, knocking three times. "Daddy's going to work now, Mitsuko, are you going to come and say bye?"

"No! I hate you!"

Taiga cringed, taking his husband's hands in his own. "Ouch. Look, I'll do some damage control. You have a good day."

Aomine frowned, letting Taiga pull him into a quick kiss. "Not likely… see you later."

* * *

Aomine finally returned home after his long day at work, slumping against the wall to kick his shoes off. The abundance of shoes in the genkan told Aomine there were still guests over; guests he wasn't looking forward to entertaining. He shuffled through to the living room, frowning when he noticed most of the evidence there'd been a birthday party had been cleaned up.

"Welcome home, Aominecchi!"

Aomine forced a smile, lifting a hand up to greet his friends. "Where's Taiga?"

"Kitchen."

"How was work, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked, shifting up on the sofa to make space for him to sit. Aomine shrugged, flopping down, not caring he'd partially sat on Kise's lap.

"Crap. It was all paperwork all day… where's the birthday girl?"

"In her room with Yoichi, playing with her new toys."

"Ah… how was the party?"

Kise grinned, throwing an arm around Aomine's shoulder. "It was beautiful, Aominecchi! There was cake and ice-cream and party games and music, and Midorimacchi and Takaocchi brought baby Kichirou over!"

"Really? Did Midorima let anyone hold him?"

"When he had to use the bathroom Takao quickly passed him round," Kuroko said, hiding a chuckle behind his hand. Aomine smirked.

"Wow. Years of experience with children and four-eyes wouldn't let any of you hold the baby?"

"He said I'd taint him if I so much as touched him! So mean!" Kise wailed, shaking Aomine's arm.

"Yeah, I understand that… Anyway, I need to see if my daughter wants to talk to me yet." Aomine pulled himself up, groaning as he did so as his back muscles strained from being slouched all day. He dragged himself through the house to his daughter's room; he knocked gently on the door before peering in. Mitsuko was sat by her dollhouse, narrating everything 'Daddy Dinosaur' was doing whilst Yoichi pushed the toy jeep around himself in circles. Aomine smiled, remembering fondly the day Mitsuko had tossed out the dolls that came with the dollhouse, replacing them with a dinosaur family instead.

"Mitsuko? I'm home."

Mitsuko's head snapped up, her smile instantly morphing into a frown. "Go away."

Aomine sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "You can't still be upset with me."

"I am, now go away, I'm busy."

"Mitsuko-"

"Go away!"

Frowning, Aomine slipped out of his daughter's room, going to find his husband for a comforting hug. Taiga was ready for him when he shuffled into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"I heard, is she still not talking to you?"

Aomine shook his head, gripping tightly onto Taiga's shirt. "I'm going to cry myself to sleep."

Taiga chuckled, pressing a kiss against the side of Aomine's head. "She missed you today. She made me take so many pictures so you could feel like you were there too, she even wrote a letter to your boss, telling him off for keeping you from her."

Aomine managed a smile. "I still upset her, though. On her birthday."

"You'll make it up to her."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Aomine usually hated grocery shopping and the adult decisions he had to make when shopping. He had no idea which produce to buy or the things Taiga usually got for the meals he cooked; he was quite happy eating microwaveable meals and snacks, but with a growing five-year-old, that wasn't an option. He had to _set a good example,_ apparently.

The five-year-old in question skipped up to Aomine brandishing a box of what was essentially chocolate coated chocolate with an extra sprinkling of chocolate, grinning widely. "Papa usually lets me get these when we go shopping."

Aomine quirked an eyebrow, propping his fist on his hip. "Does he, now?"

Mitsuko nodded, trying her best to look as sincere as she could. "Yup."

"Are you sure you're not telling fibs?"

"I don't even know what a fib is."

"Nice try, princess. Go put them back."

"But daddy-"

"No, now put them back or I'll tell papa you tried to trick me."

Mitsuko pouted, dragging her feet as she went to put the chocolate back. Aomine smirked, pulling the list Taiga had quickly scribbled down from his pocket, looking over what he was yet to get. Scratching the back of his head, he wondered where he'd even find half of the things on the list, slowly starting to wander towards the end of the aisle. He'd wandered up and down for five minutes before he realised he hadn't had mindless chatter following him for a while. He spun around, his stomach dropping when he realised Mitsuko wasn't behind him. He rushed back to the aisle she'd gotten her chocolate from but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck… fuck… fuck…" He slowly jogged up and down every aisle looking for his daughter with no luck. He mentally cursed himself for losing Mitsuko, desperately hoping she was just hiding somewhere and hadn't been snatched by a deranged madman.

His search became frantic as he began almost running around the shop, up and down the aisles, double checking every child he saw in case he'd managed to mistake them. "Fuck. Taiga's actually going to kill me."

After almost ten minutes of running around hectically, Aomine had almost given up hope, trying to think of what he'd say to his husband when he returned home with no shopping and no child.

"_Could the father of Aomine Mitsuko please come to the customer help desk._"

Aomine's heart began hammering in his chest as he looked up towards the ceiling, hoping he hadn't imagined the sudden announcement over the tannoy.

"_Could the father of Aomine Mitsuko please come to the customer help desk._"

Not caring about the rest of the innocent shoppers around him, Aomine broke into a run, almost knocking over several people on his way to the customer help desk. Behind the desk, Mitsuko was sat on a chair, her eyes red from crying, cautiously licking a lolly-pop a staff-member must have given her.

"Mitsuko!"

Mitsuko looked up, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Aomine. "Daddy!" She jumped from her chair and ran round the desk, colliding with Aomine's legs. Aomine crouched, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I was so scared I'd lost you."

The lady at the help desk cleared her throat in an attempt to get Aomine's attention. "Are you her father?"

Aomine nodded, stroking his hand through Mitsuko's hair, pressing kisses to the top of her head.

"You should be more careful. You're lucky it was a kindly older lady who found her and not some unsavoury character."

"You should be ashamed."

Aomine looked up; a middle-aged woman was stood by him, scowling with her arms folded over her chest. "Excuse me?"

"You should be looking after your daughter, not just doing whatever it is you felt like doing!"

"What?! I do look after her! I got distracted for a few minutes and she'd gone!"

The woman scoffed, shaking her head like Aomine was the worst person she'd ever met. "That's not looking after her then, is it?"

"I'm not the one who does the shopping, and especially not with my daughter. Sorry my mind wasn't fully focused, not that it's any of your business."

Mitsuko popped her head through Aomine's arms, glaring up at the woman. "Stop being mean to my daddy. It was an accident."

In response, the woman stuck her nose up, flattening out the front of her coat. "How rude. You should teach your daughter to respect her elders. What sort of father are you, anyway?"

"The best one! Come on, daddy." Mitsuko suddenly grabbed Aomine's hand and began pulling him away. Aomine smiled, giving the rude woman a sly wink before focusing on where his daughter was leading him.

"We should just let papa do the shopping from now on, huh?" Aomine suggested, pulling Mitsuko to sit up on his shoulders, holding onto her legs.

"Probably… I was very scared, daddy. I thought I'd never see you again."

Aomine frowned, giving her legs a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry, princess. I was scared too, y'know."

Mitsuko leant forward, giving Aomine's head a tight hug. "Please don't lose me again. I don't like being lost."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Aomine let out a sigh, tossing his sports magazine onto the coffee table, picking up the remote to switch on the TV. His days off were decidedly more lonely since Mitsuko had started school and Taiga had returned to working full time. He'd thought he'd relish the idea of finally being by himself, to spend his time how he wanted to, but after five years of his house being full of life and energy, being by himself was too quiet. He didn't care for what was on the TV, he just needed background noise.

He debated if he should tidy up the kitchen as a nice surprise for Taiga, hoping it would earn him extra brownie points in the bedroom. But then he remembered the last time he'd tidied the kitchen, when he'd managed to piss his husband off by putting his chef's knives in the dishwasher and spilling his saffron - which had been an expensive gift from Akashi from his business trip to Tabriz - but how was he to know it cost almost 500 yen per gram. He finally decided to leave the kitchen be and that his energy was better spent doing a load of washing.

Stewing in his boredom, Aomine did odd jobs around the house, making a mission out of changing his and Taiga's bedsheets; tidying Mitsuko's toys, knowing full well they'd be scattered all over the floor within ten minutes of her getting home.

Engrossed in his jobs, Aomine hadn't been paying attention to the time until his stomach began growling. He checked the clock in the living room, realising it was well past the time Taiga usually returned and made a start on dinner. He frowned, checking his phone for any messages from Taiga, mentioning a deviation from the usual schedule; there were none. He sighed, milling aimlessly around the house, wondering where his family were.

After a while of rearranging the fridge magnets, his phone rang. It was Taiga.

"Taiga?"

"Why the fuck has school just rang me, asking if anyone's coming for Mitsuko?!"

"Uh…?"

"Ahomine! Why haven't you picked her up?!"

"Where are you?"

"At the hospital! I told you I had an appointment after work so you had to pick Mitsuko up!"

"...Shit."

"Yeah, shit! Go and fucking get her, idiot!"

"Right, bye…"

Aomine hung up and hurried to get ready, grabbing his car keys and set off to the school, breaking a few traffic laws on the way. He finally pulled up, diving from his car and ran into the building, rushing to the reception area. Mitsuko was sat on the floor, drawing on a piece of paper.

"Ah, Aomine-san, at last," said the receptionist, standing from her seat.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was my turn to pick her up," Aomine said, crouching down to card his fingers through Mitsuko's hair. "You ready to go, sweetheart?"

Mitsuko nodded, silently gathering her things.

"She had a bit of a cry, unfortunately. I think she's still a little upset."

Aomine nodded, taking Mitsuko's bag and coat. "Thank you for looking after her. Sorry, again."

"It's okay, Aomine-san. You're not the first parent to forget, you won't be the last. These things happen."

"Right… come on then, sweetheart. Are you saying bye?"

"Goodbye, sensei. Thank you for looking after me," Mitsuko mumbled, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"You're very welcome, Mitsuko-kun, see you tomorrow."

Aomine thanked her again before leading his daughter out to the car. "Are you okay, princess? You're very quiet."

Mitsuko kept looking down, scuffing her shoe on the floor. "You still want me, right?"

Aomine frowned, pulling her onto his knee. "Of course! You're my little girl. Where did this come from?"

"Saito-kun said you'd left me, because you didn't want me any more." Tears began pooling in the corner of her eyes as she worked herself up. Aomine sighed, pulling her into a hug.

"No, baby, of course not. Don't listen to that snot-nosed brat. I'd never give you up for anything in the world. You're my favourite thing, ever."

Mitsuko gave a loud sniff, wiping her tears on Aomine's shirt. "More favourite than papa?"

"More favourite than papa… I'm sorry I didn't pick you up on time, I forgot it was my turn."

"You forgot me?!"

"No, no… I was so busy thinking about how much I wanted you home to play with me, I forgot to actually come and get you."

Mitsuko finally lifted her head, peering up at Aomine through her hair. "So you still want me?"

"Of course I do… Do you still want me to be your daddy?"

"I'll think about it."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"When's papa getting home?" Mitsuko asked, draping herself over Aomine's shoulders. Aomine smiled, holding onto her wrists, keeping her in place.

"Very soon. Uncle Kise has to drive slowly."

"And they're bringing baby Koji with them?"

"Yes."

"They're not leaving him at the hospital?"

Aomine chuckled, pulling Mitsuko to sit on his lap. "No. Why would they do that?"

Mitsuko shrugged, twirling her fingers in Aomine's shirt. "You're still going to be my daddy, right?"

"Of course I am."

"But what about Koji-kun?"

"What about him?"

"Aren't you going to be his daddy?"

Aomine laughed, pulling his daughter into a hug, pressing kisses across her cheek. "Yes. I'll be both of your daddies."

"Can you do that?!"

"Yes. That's how having a little brother works."

Mitsuko frowned. "I don't want a little brother."

"Well, it's a little late now, he'll be here soon… why not?"

"Because I'll be the only girl. All the people in our family are boys and I don't want to be the only girl. Can't I have a little sister instead?"

"I'm afraid not, Koji's already a boy… a least with a brother you don't have to share your room."

Mitsuko's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh yeah! So… you're still going to be my daddy?"

"Yes."

"But I have to share you?"

Aomine nodded, pulling Mitsuko to stand on his lap, holding her hands to keep her steady. "I'm afraid so, princess. But I can't do the fun stuff with him I do with you until he's at least three. So we can still go on our dates."

Mitsuko cheered, throwing her arms around Aomine's neck. "Good! No one's allowed on our dates, not even papa!"

"Papa would ruin them."

"Yeah… I love you, daddy."

Aomine smiled, wrapping his arms around his daughter, kissing the side of her head. "Love you too, sweetheart."

The two sat quietly, poking and prodding each other until they could hear the scratch of a key finding the front door lock. Mitsuko jumped off Aomine's lap, rushing to the door.

"Papa's home!"

The door finally swung open, revealing a red-faced, panting Kise, carrying three bags and a carry cot, trying his best to keep them all up whilst fumbling with the key. Aomine smirked, moving to help his friend, taking the bags from him and setting them down in the living room. Following behind Kise was Taiga, carrying only a wrapped bundle, with a sleepy smile on his face. Mitsuko ran to clutch his legs but Aomine quickly held her back, pulling her up against his hip.

"Calm down. Let papa come in and sit down first."

Taiga beamed at his family, leaning forward to press his forehead against Aomine's. "Hey."

"Hey."

Mitsuko reached up to curl an arm around Taiga's neck, pressing her forehead against his cheek. "Hello, papa."

"Hey, baby girl." Taiga moved to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You ready to meet someone?"

Mitsuko slid down from Aomine's hold and ran over to the sofa, scrambling up. Kise chuckled, slumping down in the armchair, his phone at the ready to take pictures. Still smiling, Taiga passed the soft bundle to Aomine, pressing a kiss to his lips before trudging over to the sofa, sitting himself next to his daughter.

Aomine cradled the bundle to his chest, cooing happily. "Hey little man… hey…"

"Can I meet him, daddy?"

"Of course…" Aomine smiled, carefully walking over to the sofa, crouching down beside his daughter. "Hold your arms out… be gentle, and be careful with his head, it's very delicate."

Mitsuko did as she was told, holding out her arms, grinning up at Aomine. He laid the bundle down in her arms, placing her hands where they needed to be.

"Be careful with him."

"I will!" Mitsuko peered down at the bundle, chuckling when it began squirming. "He's so tiny!"

Taiga chuckled, pulling back some of the blanket. "Of course he is. You were even smaller, you know."

"Was I? Was I this wrinkly, too?"

"Most definitely," Aomine grinned, carding his fingers through Mitsuko's hair. "So what do you think? Are we keeping him?"

"Um~... yes. He's cute."

"Good."

Mitsuko carefully pulled the blankets back even further to get a better look at her new baby brother, smiling down at him. "Hello, Koji-kun. I'm Mitsuko I'm your big sister."

Taiga looked up at Aomine over the top of Mitsuko's head, smiling at him. Aomine grinned back.

"You've already met papa; papa's lovely. He makes the best food in the world. And he gives the nicest cuddles in the world, ever!

"But you don't know daddy yet. Daddy is the nicest, bestest, kindest… most wonderfullest daddy in the whole universe! He always plays with me and tucks me into bed and reads me stories - and he does all the voices too, and…. and he takes me out for milkshakes and to the playground and we do all kind of great things… and now he'll do them with you, too.

"You'll love daddy, and papa… I do. They're the best parents in the whole world."

The room stayed silent after Mitsuko finished talking, Taiga tearily looked over at Aomine, reaching to hold his hand. Aomine smiled wider in an attempt to keep himself from crying, squeezing his husband's hand gently.

"Oh, Mitsuko-chan! That was lovely!" Kise wailed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I wish Yoichi would say that about me and Tetsu! You're so lucky, Aominecchi!"

"I know," Aomine sighed, moving to take Koji from Mitsuko, cradling him in the crook of one arm, pulling Mitsuko into a tight hug with the other. "I love you too, princess. More than anything."

"I love you more!"

"I don't think so."

Taiga shuffled up the sofa, wrapping his arms around his family, pressing a kiss to the top of each of their heads. "I think you'll find, I love you the most. All of you."

"Are you crying, papa?"

"Nope. Papa doesn't cry; never ever."

Aomine chuckled, nudging his husband's cheek with his nose. "Papa's a liar."

"Shut up, Aho."

"Love you too, Baka."

Mitsuko suddenly began squirming between her fathers, trying to wriggle out from their grip. She finally broke free and ran out of the room, leaving the adults to stare at each other in confusion. Attention was drawn back to the newest addition to the family when Koji sneezed, jerking in Aomine's grip. Aomine chuckled, rearranging the baby so he could get a better look at him, nudging a finger into his loose fist, grinning when Koji gripped it softly.

"He's perfect, Taiga."

Taiga let his head rest on his husband's shoulder, looking down at the baby with a look of pure adoration in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah… he's got your hair. And your nose."

"But he got that scowl from you."

"He's going to be fighting away the girls… He looks nothing like Mitsuko did."

Taiga nodded, reaching down to stroke the thin patch of hair on the top of Koji's head. "Except the eyes."

Aomine hummed, resting his head against Taiga's. On the other side of the room, Kise was taking picture after picture, only pausing to send them en masse to the majority of his contact list.

"Murasakibaracchi says congratulations, and a gift should arrive tomorrow."

"Tell him thanks," Taiga replied, gently tracing his finger around the shell of Koji's ear. "Ask if he'll be dropping by soon."

"Himuro had better not compare him to a burrito… again," Aomine grumbled. Kise nodded, pouting at his phone.

"He's so mean. He said Yoichi looked like a hot dog when he was born."

"Tatsu's a dick."

Taiga chuckled, nudging Aomine with his elbow. "He's just teasing you."

"I've got it!" Mitsuko suddenly ran back into the room, carrying a small blue box, bouncing on the spot in front of her fathers. "I got Koji-kun a present! Uncle Tetsu helped me pick it out! Can I give it to him?"

"Sure you can, princess," Aomine said, patting the space next to him for Mitsuko to climb up. She managed to scramble up, not dropping the box and leant in closer to her brother, nudging their noses together. She giggled when Koji pawed at her cheek, his fingers almost curling around her nose.

"I got you a present, Koji-kun. Do you want to open it?"

"He can't quite open it just yet," Taiga said, pulling Koji into his arms so Mitsuko could sit in Aomine's lap. "Why don't you open it for him?"

"Okay… look!" Mitsuko popped the lid off the box and pulled out a small, plush cheetah, wiggling it in front of Koji's face. "Now you've got a cat like the rest of us! I've got a lion, and papa's a tiger! Uncle Tetsu said you needed a cat as well. Cheetahs are really really fast. So now you'll be really fast!"

"I think he likes it," Aomine said, squeezing Mitsuko around the waist; Koji was reaching for the soft toy, poking it, trying to grip it before accidentally knocking it out of Mitsuko's hands.

"He can't play with it yet, can he."

"Not yet, no. He can't do much at the moment, but he'll grow up really quickly, and he'll play with it then."

"I'll go put it with yours and papa's then." She slid down from Aomine's lap and took the toy over to the bookshelf on the far wall, climbing up on the armchair and onto Kise's shoulders to put the toy cheetah with the tiger and panther toys. "I'll put mine there, too! So they can be a proper family!" Mitsuko ran off again to her room, to collect the toy lion she'd gotten from Kuroko when she'd been born.

"I don't know how you two managed to get such a cute child," Kise said, grinning over at his friends.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm adorable!" Aomine snapped, narrowing his eyes. Taiga shook his head, slowly pulling himself up from the sofa, mindful of his hold on Koji.

"I'm going to feed him and put him down to sleep, and probably go to sleep myself."

Aomine nodded, standing up too to pull them into a hug, pressing kisses to Koji's forehead, and giving Taiga their first proper kiss of the day, lingering before letting him pull away. "Love you, Baka."

Taiga smirked, knocking their shoulders together. "Love you too, Aho. Don't make too much noise." He shuffled out of the room, leaving Aomine and Kise to themselves.

"I should probably be going, I'm starting to miss my own, more adorable family," Kise said, stretching all his limbs before standing.

"You wish your family were as cute as mine."

Kise laughed, punching Aomine's shoulder playfully. "Anyway, congratulations, Daiki. Koji's beautiful."

"Thanks, Kise. For everything."

"I'll see you tomorrow, probably… now where's the little princess…" Kise went to find Mitsuko, giving her a goodbye hug and kiss, carrying her to the door, passing her to Aomine before he left.

"Just us again, sweetheart," Aomine sighed, taking Mitsuko back to the living room, letting her put her lion toy on the shelf before slumping down on the sofa.

"Where's papa gone?"

"He and Koji have gone to bed, they've had a very busy few days. So we have to be quiet."

Mitsuko nodded, pulling Aomine's arms tighter around her waist. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have to move out of my room?"

Aomine laughed, tickling his daughter's tummy. "Of course not. Koji will live in our room for now, and then when he's bigger… well, we'll get to that later… Everything's going to be the same, princess, you just have a little brother now. Well, papa and I might be a little busier than normal, looking after Koji, but we'll still have time to play with you."

"Just… not all the time?"

"No, I'm sorry. But we'll have extra fun to make up for it. Is that okay?"

"I suppose… can we watch a film, daddy?"

"Of course we can. Go and pick one."

Mitsuko turned on Aomine's lap, getting up on her knees and threw her arms around his neck. "Even if you can't play with me all the time, you're still the best daddy ever."

Aomine smiled, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "What about papa?"

"He's the best papa… but I still like you more. Don't tell papa I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me."

**THE END**


End file.
